Whitesnake Embarks On Greatest Hits Tour

Whitesnake will play Huber Heights, near Dayton, later this month. I recently interviewed Joel Hoekstra about the tour for the Dayton City Paper. Here's that interview:

Whitesnake, the iconic band fronted by British singer David Coverdale, will once again roll through the Miami Valley, stopping for a gig at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights on Wednesday, June 15. The band played Rose last year during its Purple tour. This year, it’s all about the greatest hits. This means if you’re a fan of “Is This Love” and “Still Of The Night,” you’d better get a ticket.

“The setlist is different this year,” Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra promises the Dayton City Paper. “This year is really what people are used to hearing from Whitesnake. It’s as advertised. The band was like, ‘Seriously? We get to play this set!’ It’s far and away the best set of music I’ve ever been able to play. Hopefully, people will come out just based on that alone.”

The eight times platinum 1987 release Whitesnake was massive the world over, especially here in America where MTV made the already established band a household name to teens and housewives alike.

For Hoekstra, being a member of Whitesnake is still a fairly new gig. Not that he’s new to the scene. He was a longtime member of Night Ranger and has played with Foreigner, too. But Whitesnake is home, at least for now.

“The lineup is a great combination of guys who are new to the band and then guys like [drummer] Tommy Aldridge and [guitarist] Reb Beach who have been here awhile so there’s a great blend of enthusiasm and poise,” Hoekstra continues. “For me, it’s an honor to work with David Coverdale. He’s a living legend. The guy worked with Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore! It’s a great education for me.”

Obviously, Hoekstra didn’t start at the top playing for stadium crowds. He built his career just like the rest of us: pebble by pebble, job by job. He wasn’t afraid of hard work and taking risks.

Continue reading over on the DCP site.

Comments

[Him]

Always enjoy reading your interviews, Allyson. Thanks for sharing.

[Metalboy!]

Thank you, Allyson, for the interesting interview.

The Dayton City Paper is lucky to have you!

Now if Coverdale would get a vocal coach and bring him on tour the way Axl does, we could actually hear him sing!

Speaking of Axl, any chance you could wrangle a double interview with he and Angus when they hit Cleveland or Columbus?

[Gary]

Cool beans Allyson. Well done.

[Steverox]

I have never met Joel but have seen him with Nightranger and a ton of times with TSO. He seems to genuinely love his job! And he's got a killer smile, great hair, and kick-ass rock poses to boot. Yup, I'm a fanboy. He sounds great in Whitesnake based on youtube, but I have to say I really loved the Aldrich/Beach combination as well.

[stu]

just saw the "snake" show last week (in dallas). it is an '80s greatest hit show, for sure. they all look like they're having a blast too. the sound was a bit off, but not that bad. the strange thing was they played in a venue about half the size of the previous tour. if you're willing to wait after the show, the guys will come out and mingle a bit - minus coverdale that is.

[Him]

How did Coverdale sound, stu? Just curious.

[Bob]

Let's remember that Coverdale is 65 years old. Yes, vocal coaching would help him regain some of his power and range, but at the end of the day, he is still 65 which comes with its own built-in limitations that no amount of coaching can overcome.

[Metalboy!]

Hey, Bob, didn't Tony Bennett, Rod Stewart, Brian Wilson, Brian Johnson (how convenient of me), McCartney and those dudes from the band, Chicago all keep their voices long after all the partying was over?

[Bob]

Tony Bennett - once-in-a-lifetime vocal god.
Rod Stewart - full-thrhoated blues shouter who turned into a crooner when his range and power lessened with age.
, Brian Wilson - not nearly the singer he used to be.
Brian Johnson - LOL, nice one!
Paul McCartney - voice is still decent, but not what it used to be either simply because of age.
Those dudes from the band and Chicago - The ones who are still alive still sing well, but again, not as well as they used to 45 years ago.
That's my point -- yes, Coverdale can certainly get better with coaching, but all the coaching in the world won't make him be able to sing as well as he did 30 years ago. Blues and jazz singers get better with age...Not so much for most hard rock singers.

[Metalboy!]

True, Bob, but Coverdale is so horrible, he should just hang it up if he's not gonna quit the booze and have daily vocal coaching.

[stu]

well, coverdale wasn't bad, but i never saw them back in the day, so i don't really have anything to base it on. he sings differently now because his voice has changed. he doesn't try to hit the high notes like he used to, which is better than trying and failing.
i agree with brian wilson also, he talk-sings as much as sings these days, but it is still enjoyable.

[Metalboy!]

Yeah, but Brian Wilson can still hit the high notes.

If Coverdale, an incredible singer in his day, would just give a damn enough to at least get his voice passable, would be one thing, but if he's not, he should just get off the stage. I know several people who saw him recently and told me the experience was horrendous.

Want proof, listen to him singing "Ain't That A Shame" during the All-Star jam at the conclusion of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's actually verging on disgraceful, so much so, you actually might be embarrassed for him when you're watching it, even if you're in complete solitude!